Monday, April 1, 2013

Bruce Creek Falls - Cumberland Trail State Park


The Cumberland Trail near Caryville in Campbell County passes a series of man-made waterfalls on Bruce Creek.  We visited in mid-March, 2013.  The creek was relocated eastward about 40 feet during the construction of Interstate 75 in the 1970s.  Lower Bruce Falls is about 15 feet high.  Bruce Falls consists of three man-made plunges in a stair step fashion that total about 70 feet.


Portions of the wide trail are the former creekbed

Lower Bruce Falls


Bruce Creek below the lower falls

Lower falls from the trail

The sedimentary rock has been turned nearly vertical

Large rocks in the creek bed

Three-part Bruce Creek Falls


Looking down at the middle plunge

We turned around at the trail bridge across Bruce Creek

The bridge is missing some decking

Looking downstream from the bridge

Looking upstream from the bridge

While we were in Caryville, we crossed to the west side of the Interstate and stopped on Fall Creek Lane to view the Notch Falls of Fall Creek.  The chute portion descends about 12 feet and the plunge to the roadside pool is another 10 feet.

Notch Falls

The plunge portion of Notch Falls

The park website is http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/CumberlandTrail/.

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